Friedrich Casimir (Hanau)

Johann David Welcker: Allegory of the acquisition of Surinam by Count Friedrich Kasimir von Hanau in 1669. (1676) Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe Inv.-Nr. 1164.

Friedrich Casimir von Hanau (born August 4, 1623 in Buchsweiler ; † March 30, 1685 in Hanau ) from the House of Hanau-Lichtenberg was sovereign in the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg from 1641 and a year later, in 1642, also in the county of Hanau- Munzenberg .

Childhood and youth

Friedrich Casimir was born in Buchsweiler , the capital of the County of Hanau-Lichtenberg, as the son of Count Philipp Wolfgang (* 1595, † 1641) and his wife, Countess Johanna von Öttingen (* 1602; † 1639). In his childhood he had to flee the effects of the Thirty Years War with his parents several times to Strasbourg , where the family owned a city ​​palace .

Pedigree of Count Friedrich Kasimir von Hanau-Lichtenberg
Great grandparents	Philipp V von Hanau-Lichtenberg (* 1541; † 1599) ∞ Margarethe Ludowika von Pfalz-Zweibrücken (* 1540; † 1569)	Wolfgang zu Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (* 1546; † 1610) ∞ Magdalena von Nassau-Dillenburg (* 1547; † 1643)	Gottfried von Öttingen (* 1554; † 1622) ∞ Johanna zu Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (* 1557; † 1585)	George III von Erbach (* 1548; † 1605) ∞ Anna zu Solms (* 1557; † 1586)
Grandparents	Johann Reinhard I. von Hanau-Lichtenberg (* 1568; † 1625) ∞ Maria Elisabeth zu Hohenlohe-Neuenstein (* 1576; † 1605)		Ludwig Eberhard von Öttingen-Öttingen (* 1577; † 1634) ∞ Margarethe von Erbach (* 1576; † 1636)
parents	Philipp Wolfgang von Hanau-Lichtenberg (* 1595; † 1641) ∞ Johanna von Öttingen-Öttingen (* 1602; † 1639)
Friedrich Casimir

For the family cf. Main article: Hanau (noble family)

Guardianship

On February 14, 1641 Friedrich Casimir followed his late father in the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg. According to the legal situation at the time, the age of majority occurred at the age of 25, so that a guardianship was established for him and his brothers, Johann Philipp and Johann Reinhard II . Count Johann Ernst von Hanau-Münzenberg and Baron Georg II von Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl initially took part in this . Georg II von Fleckenstein-Dagstuhl was a grandson of Anna Sibylle von Hanau-Lichtenberg , a daughter of Count Philipp IV von Hanau-Lichtenberg . When Count Johann Ernst died in 1642, Friedrich Casimir also inherited the County of Hanau-Münzenberg . In his hands, for the first time since 1458, all Hanau regions were united in one hand. Georg von Fleckenstein now remained as sole guardian. Friedrich Casimir was sent on the customary cavalier tour from 1643 to 1645 , which took him to countries in Europe not affected by the war, to France, Spain, Italy, England and the Netherlands. This may also serve his personal safety. After Georg von Fleckenstein died in 1644, Count Georg Albrecht von Erbach exercised guardianship until his own death in 1647. Since there were only a few months left until Friedrich Casimir came of age, no further attempt was made to set up a guardianship again.

Appointment of government in Hanau-Munzenberg

Grafschaft Hanau [-Münzenberg], map by Friedrich Zollmann 1728

Guild letter from Count Friedrich Casimir for the forge and other metalworking professions in Schlüchtern

After the death of Count Johann Ernst von Hanau-Münzenberg on January 12, 1642, his next, albeit distant, male relative was Friedrich Casimir. His inheritance claim was confirmed by an inheritance contract concluded in 1610 between the houses in Hanau-Münzenberg and Hanau-Lichtenberg.

However, taking office was not without its problems. Even the external circumstances of the assumption of government in Hanau-Münzenberg were difficult for Friedrich Casimir: Only disguised, with a small number of escorts, including his guardian, he had to go from Hanau-Lichtenberg through hostile territory to Hanau, where he arrived on January 21, 1642 .

Various feudal lords of the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, above all the Archdiocese of Mainz , but also the Electorate of Saxony , Hessen-Darmstadt , the Diocese of Würzburg and the Prince Abbey of Fulda saw the only distant family relationship as a good opportunity to collect fiefdoms given to Hanau. As weak as their legal position might be, in the situation of the Thirty Years War the actual power constellation counted more than the legal positions. Georg von Fleckenstein recognized the situation clearly and secured the support of the Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel . The widow of Landgrave Wilhelm V von | Hessen-Kassel, Amalie Elisabeth , a née Countess von Hanau-Munzenberg, who was regent of the Landgraviate at the time, provided diplomatic and political support - not entirely unselfishly. It was important to her that the county was completely preserved, as it was heavily indebted to the Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel. In return, Friedrich Casimir's guardian signed a contract of inheritance with Landgravine Amalie Elisabeth in 1643, according to which the county of Hanau-Munzenberg should fall under the male line of Hesse-Kassel when the Hanau family died out. The case occurred in 1736. He also left the Schwarzenfels office and the Naumburg winery to Hessen-Kassel as security for the Hanau debts .

The residence town of Hanau-Münzenberg, Hanau , consisted at that time of two legally independent cities: Old and New Hanau. The latter was settled at the turn of the 16th to the 17th century by Reformed religious refugees from France and the Spanish Netherlands (today's Belgium ). Its ruling class consisted of wealthy merchants and tradespeople who took advantage of the weak position of the new count when taking office to secure their own concerns. Friedrich Casimir's guardian had no choice but to grant the demands after ten days of negotiations so that Friedrich Casimir could take over his inheritance at all. In terms of content, the main concern was to guarantee the denominational status quo.

Religious politics

Friedrich Casimir was, like the whole family from Hanau-Lichtenberg, Lutheran . The county of Hanau-Munzenberg was reformed since the reign of Count Philipp Ludwig II . While 50 years earlier Count Philipp Ludwig II had been able to enforce the Jus reformandi , the principle of cuius regio, eius religio , the right to determine the denomination of his subjects, Friedrich Casimir now had not only to continue to grant the Reformed religious freedom, but even restrict the Lutheran service for himself and his court to the chapel in the city ​​palace . It was not until 1658 that the Lutheran St. John's Church could be built , with considerable help from other Lutherans. In other ways too, much to the annoyance of the Reformed majority of his subjects, he promoted the Lutheran denomination. Lutheran congregations were able to form in many congregations in the county, which led to considerable clashes between the two faiths.

In 1650 and 1670 there were comparisons between the two denominational parties, and in 1670 the so-called main religious trial . He established the equality of the two evangelical denominations, gave each its own church administration, so that from now on there were two regional churches in the county of Hanau , and the count renounced his Jus reformandi . The 1670 agreement became a permanent and firm foundation for biconfessionalism in the county until the early 19th century. However, the denominations continued to argue violently in everyday dealings with one another. It was not until 140 years later that the two churches in the Hanau Union unite in one uniate church .

family

Friedrich Casimir's accession to government in Hanau-Munzenberg took place in a financially precarious situation for the county due to the Thirty Years' War. When he arrived in Hanau, he also found the widow of his penultimate predecessor, Count Philipp Moritz , who had died a year earlier , Sibylle Christine von Anhalt-Dessau . As a countess widow, she was able to make considerable demands on the county. In order to avoid this, Friedrich Casimir married on May 13, 1647, shortly after he had come of age , the widow 20 years older than him, at that time almost 44 years old. The solution was inexpensive and also had the advantage that marriage to a princess of the Reformed faith reassured the Reformed majority of his subjects who were suspicious of him in matters of religious policy. Marriage with the so much older one, however, meant that she remained childless. It was also characterized by differences, probably also because Friedrich Casimir, due to his constant need for money, also fell back on his wife's assets.

Shortly before his death in 1685, Friedrich Casimir adopted his nephew Johann Reinhard III.

government

Political framework

The County of Hanau got off lightly in the Peace of Westphalia and was largely able to secure its territorial existence from the time before 1618. Friedrich Casimir succeeded in re-establishing a balanced relationship with the imperial court in Vienna. This found its expression in his appointment to the imperial council by Ferdinand II. However, the county was left with considerable debts from the war, a burden that Friedrich Casimir's entire reign determined. This was all the more difficult as the need for money both for the reconstruction of the county, which had been badly damaged by the war, and for investments that he considered to be promising, as well as a baroque court that was appropriately representative from a contemporary perspective, exceeded the efficiency of the county. In order to finance all of this, he took on further debts and ultimately even sold the Rodheim office .

Even after the Peace of Westphalia, the political landscape in which Friedrich Casimir had to act remained characterized by uncertainty. In terms of foreign policy, this was particularly true for the Hanau-Lichtenberger part of the country, which was within the direct reach of Ludwig XIV and was repeatedly covered with war and occupation. The parts of Hanau-Lichtenberg on the left bank of the Rhine had been separated from the German Empire by the Peace of Westphalia and placed under the sovereignty of the French crown. For these areas, Friedrich Casimir had to swear allegiance to the French king after the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678 and a ruling by the French chambers of reunions in 1681. In 1673 French troops even occupied Friedberg , Aschaffenburg and Seligenstadt . Hanau had declared itself neutral, but was completely surrounded by French troops.

Friedrich Casimir relied mainly on external consultants in the reformed environment in Hanau. These included the doctor and alchemist Friedrich Kretschmar , who became chamber director and had already accompanied positions at other smaller courts; the Swedish Councilor Bengt Skytte from the circle of Queen Christine of Sweden ; the doctor, camerawoman and economic theorist Johann Joachim Becher ; the military and diplomat Landgrave Georg Christian von Hessen-Homburg and the lawyer and writer Johann Michael Moscherosch , who was, however, a subject from the Hanau-Lichtenberg region. The predominantly Lutheran background of these leadership staff is striking. This of course triggered aversions in the predominantly reformed part of the country, the County of Hanau-Münzenberg, and among the traditional staff working there. This is reflected in the predominantly highly disadvantageous portrayal of these men in regional historiography in the following centuries.

Successful projects

Science and culture were a focus of the Count's interest. An important project was to create an educational institution in Hanau that would radiate far beyond the boundaries of the county, an academy of science and arts. Investments were also made in the existing educational institutions. After decades of construction, the construction of the High State School was completed in 1665 . In addition, a Lutheran grammar school was built in Hanau in 1680, which emerged from the Lutheran school founded in 1647 and was converted into a secondary school in 1813. Next government was under Frederick Casimir the Hanauer faience , one of the first faience - factories in Germany that successfully produced up to the beginning of the 19th century. It was founded by Daniel Behaghel and Jakob van der Walle . The count's privilege was issued on March 5, 1661. In 1678 the "Hanauer Zeitung" was founded, one of the oldest in Germany. Friedrich Casimir was a member of the literary fruitful society with the company name The Elevator .

With the Archbishopric of Mainz and the Diocese of Würzburg , administered in personal union by Elector - Archbishop Johann Philipp von Schönborn , a number of contracts were concluded, which on the one hand settled disputes arising from the Thirty Years War, on the other hand through the swap of territories and the division of real estate joint condominiums rounded off the respective territory.

To compensate for the population losses of the war, he encouraged the influx of Swiss from the Bernese Oberland in the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg . That these were reformed beliefs was tolerated.

Failed projects

The planned Academy of Sciences and Arts should be called "Sophopolis". Its founding was also intended as an economic project. In this way, the students streaming in from “abroad” should lead to an economic upswing. He set up a cabinet of art and natural objects , which was also to become a teaching material collection for the planned academy. The investments for this were substantial and one of the main criticisms of the agnates .

Another project was the establishment of Hanauisch India , a colony that was to emerge on the Orinoco on the north coast of South America . The concept probably came from Johann Joachim Becher.

Map of Hanauisch India 1669.

After all, this project grew to a legally binding contract with the Dutch West India Company . The idea was to use the profits from the colony to make up for the lack of money in Hanau. In this respect, the concept was very modern for the time and anticipated ideas of colonialism from the two following centuries. Friedrich Casimir probably also saw himself as the future ruler of a tropical empire; After the failure of the project, he was mocked by the people as the King of Cockaigne . What was missing from the concept - and generally in Hanau - was the money to implement the substantial initial investments for such a project. As a result, there was no consequence in South America and the high debts remained in the county of Hanau. In order to compensate for the financial disaster, Friedrich Casimir is said to have considered pledging the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg to the Duke of Lorraine and converting to the Roman Catholic faith in order to secure support from the Catholic side. Behind this project Landgraf Georg Christian von should Hesse-Homburg have stood, which includes the Office Dorheim and therein situated, economically very important for the county Hanau Saline of Nauheim sought to bring in. In order to eliminate the count's agnates, who were disturbing him in these projects, he tried to get the reign of the county into his hands.

Disempowerment

In Hanau, the Count's relatives then pulled the emergency brake. First, his brother, Johann Philipp , attempted a coup in November 1669 and seized the government in the absence of Friedrich Casimir. This emergency regime collapsed after three days. Therefore, the relatives and guardians of the nephews and later successors of Friedrich Casimir, Duke Christian II of Pfalz-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld and Countess Palatine Anna Magdalena of Pfalz-Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld , obtained compulsory administration of the county from Emperor Leopold I. Both were given co-regency in the county and a veto right against decisions of the count was granted. This was supported by the military of the Landgraviate of Hessen-Kassel . The count's advisors were dismissed. Johann Georg Seyfried took her place as President of the Government and Chamber of Commerce, later ennobled as " von Edelsheim ". This restriction of Friedrich Casimir regarding the business of government remained in practice conflictual. He saw the rigorous policy of debt settlement initiated by the regents far more generously. In any case, there was initially no radical financial turnaround.

Death and inheritance

Friedrich Casimir died on March 30, 1685 in Hanau. The county of Hanau-Munzenberg took over his nephew Philipp Reinhard , the county of Hanau-Lichtenberg his nephew Johann Reinhard III. This division was confirmed again with a contract in 1691. Friedrich Casimir's widow, Sibylle Christine von Anhalt-Dessau, survived him for just under a year. He was buried in the crypt of the Lutheran Johanneskirche in Hanau, the widow in the crypt of the Reformed Marienkirche .

rating

The evaluation of the government of Count Friedrich Casimir is controversial. Those who define political achievement rather than the creation of (economic) stability judge it more critically. This also includes the local historiography, which is predominantly in a Reformed tradition. Those who tend to link political performance to cultural performance and forward-looking political drafts tend to rate his government performance positively.

literature

• Gerhard Bott : Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau (1623–1685). The "King of the land of milk and honey" and his art treasures . Hanau 2015. ISBN 978-3-86314-215-5
• Friedrich Wilhelm Cuno :  Friedrich Casimir . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 23, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1886, pp. 38-41.
• Reinhard Dietrich: The state constitution in Hanau. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 34, Hanau 1996, ISBN 3-9801933-6-5
• Reinhard Dietrich: ... because of large government led, but poor payment of debts ... On the financial situation of the County of Hanau in the 17th century. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter. 31, Hanau 1993, pp. 123-148.
• Ferdinand Hahnzog : The Hanauer "great year" 1669. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter. 20, 1965, pp. 129-146.
• Ferdinand Hahnzog: Hanauisch India then and now. Hanau 1959.
• Margarete Hinterreicher: Georg Christian von Hessen-Homburg (1626–1677). Officer, diplomat and regent in the decades after the Thirty Years War. In: Sources and research on Hessian history. 58. Darmstadt 1985, p. 176ff.
• Paul Jung: Contributions to the church policy of Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau. In: Hanauisches Magazin. 6, 1927, pp. 53-56, 61-63, 70-72.
• Johannes Koltermann: Pamphlets on the history of Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau with Bernhard. In: Hanauisches Magazin. 16, 1937, pp. 43-52.
• Johannes Koltermann: The journey of Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau to the Regensburg Reichstag 1664. In: Hanauer Geschichtsblätter. 20, 1965, pp. 129-146.
• JG Lehmann: Documented history of the county Hanau-Lichtenberg in the lower Alsace. 2 vol., O. O. 1862, ND Pirmasens 1970, p. 512ff.
• Rainer Springhorn : The “Anatomi Cammer” of Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau-Lichtenberg as a set piece of a science academy in the sense of JJ Bechers and GW Leibniz . In: Gerhard Bott: Count Friedrich Casimir von Hanau (1623–1685). The "King of the land of milk and honey" and his art treasures . Hanau 2015. ISBN 978-3-86314-215-5 , pp. 180-188.
• Reinhard Suchier : Genealogy of the Hanauer count house. In: Festschrift of the Hanau History Association for its 50th anniversary celebration on August 27, 1894. Hanau 1894.
• Richard Wille: The last counts of Hanau-Lichtenberg. In: Communications from the Hanau District Association for Hessian History and Regional Studies. 12, Hanau 1886, pp. 56-68.
• Ernst Julius Zimmermann : Hanau city and country. 3rd edition, Hanau 1919, ND 1978.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dietrich: State Constitution , p. 96f.
2. ↑ Dietrich: State Constitution , p. 190.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Dietrich: Landesverfassungs , pp. 190f.
4. ↑ Bott, p. 160ff.
5. ↑ Erhard Bus : The consequences of the great war - the west of the county of Hanau-Munzenberg after the Peace of Westphalia. In: Hanauer Geschichtsverein 1844 : The Thirty Years War in Hanau and the surrounding area = Hanauer Geschichtsblätter 45 (2011), ISBN 978-3-935395-15-9 , pp. 277-320 (289).
6. ↑ Bott, p. 74ff.
7. ↑ Bott, pp. 80ff; Springhorn, p. 180ff.
8. ^ Dietrich: Landesverfassungs , p. 98; Bott, p. 192 (Appendix 1).
9. ^ See: Bott, p. 193 (Appendix 2).
10. ^ Dietrich: Landesverfassungs , p. 98.
11. ↑ Dietrich: ... because of the large states that were led .
12. ↑ Bott, p. 160.

predecessor	Office	successor
Philipp Wolfgang	Count of Hanau-Lichtenberg 1641–1685	Johann Reinhard III.
Johann Ernst	Count of Hanau-Munzenberg 1642–1685	Philipp Reinhard